The labeling of product containers, such as bottles, can be done by various methods. Early methods involved either printing information directly onto the container or alternately printing the information on a label which was then adhesively bonded to the container.
A more recent labeling method involves the application of a tubular, flexible label to the bottle. Typically, the label is preprinted with the product's name and product information and the label is then pulled over the container either manually or by machine.
The use of tubular, flexible labels have become a common way of labeling plastic, "2 liter" bottles which are popular containers for soft drinks. In general, these plastic containers are replacing glass bottles and metal cans more and more each year. The labeling of these types of containers can be time consuming and add significant cost to the product package.
Apparatus and methods for automatically placing tubular labels on product containers have been suggested. In U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,412,876 issued Nov. 1, 1983 and 4,620,888 issued Nov. 4, 1986 both owned by the present assignee, relatively high speed label applying machines are disclosed. The labeling apparatus and label applying methods described in these patents have become commercially successful and are used by soft drink bottling companies, among others.
The machines described in the two above-identified patents, were designed to label empty containers or bottles. Recently it has been found desirable to fill the bottles prior to labeling. It was found that the machines of the above-identified patents could not handle the labeling of filled bottles as effectively as desired. It must be recognized that the contents of the bottle adds considerable mass and as a result filled bottles require different handling procedures and mechanisms in order to convey the filled bottle through a labeling apparatus at the high speeds bottlers have come to expect.